A mulligan in golf is a "do over", and in the case of our Mulligan Madras pants, it's fitting. When we set out to do our own signature madras, we had a few details that we had to get just right. For one, it had to be colorful and fun. It also had to be something that could look good, and have a subtle air of sophistication. And just to make sure it wasn't too easy, we had to come up with something that would seamlessly translate to other fabrics, to be used as a tartan for our character 'Mulligan', and who knows - maybe a tartan for someone's littlest golfer somewhere down the path.
The sum of all these details is eleven! Madras is a lightweight cotton fabric, usually a patterned texture and plaid design, used primarily for summer clothing such as pants, shorts, dresses and jackets. The fabric takes its name from the former name of the city of Chennai, India - Madras. Today we often see 'patch madras', where various madras patches are sewn together, usually with a similar palate. Often, colors are chosen, and a plaid is then woven, but in our case, the plaid was very specific, and not expressly typical. Each time we set out, a small sample had to be made, and each time this sample had to be hand-loomed. After the second sample arrived, we realized that our design had small details that did not translate, so we had to change course, which is not really anything you want to announce to others involved, like the mill. More hand looms, more 'close but not quite.' This went on ten times. We received ten hand-loomed samples, and on the eleventh, we got exactly what we desired, and then knew it was worth the heart ache for all involved.
As I said before, most people are familiar with patch madras pants or blazers, and sometimes shirts and shorts. Many of these are colorful creations with a rather traditional cut or design. We wanted ours to be different. We wanted a cool euro style in a traditional madras pant. The only problem with the cool euro styling you seen on the PGA Tour is that they really only fit one body type well, due to the cut. Let's just say that they look great on some, and they aren't doing justice to others. Because of this, we put elastic in the waist and a roomier fit on the top. We finished the look with a bright white snap closure giving them a real sporty 'pop.' We added a bright white snap on the back right pocket, just under our label to finish off the look. These are also the first garments in which we used woven labels instead of our signature embroidered turtles Putter or Sandy, or our stacked "The Littlest Golfer" logo. Additionally, we completed these stylish pants with a 'V' cut hem on the outside of each leg.
Our character Mulligan can be found in our books and our animated shorts, aptly named "Turtle Links." He is, in reality, who we named our Mulligan Madras after. In Mulligan's case, the same weave seen in our Mulligan Madras pants is used for his 'tartan' which can be seen on his hat and kilt. If you would like to meet Mulligan, or introduce him to your littlest golfer, he is available in our newest book, "Putter and Sandy's Great Golf Adventure", available online and in select stores.